The Book Club Game

The boys have taken to playing "The Book Club Game" around the house. It looks something like this: Lucian finds one of my purses, fills it with books and announces, "Goodbye Louie, see you later! I'm going to Book Club." He walks to the landing and unpacks his books, then Max joins him and they page through their books until Book Club ends. Lucian puts his books back in his purse and comes to the living room. "Hi Louie, I'm back! I missed you so much!"

I realized they play this game whenever I leave my purse laying around, most likely because the few times that I leave the house without them (i.e. without a diaper bag) and with a purse are to go grocery shopping and to book club. Grocery shopping they have experience with, so there's not much mystery there. Book club, on the other hand, is an enigma. All they know is that Mommy leaves after dinner with a book (and sometimes a treat) in tow, and they don't see her til the next morning. What is this mysterious thing, "book club"?

They ask to come with me every time. I began by saying that it was only for girls (that's why Audrey can come) but Max started making a wig out of paper. I didn't want to get into why that did not make him a girl, so I changed tactics- only for moms and babies. "Waaah! Waaah! I'm a baby!" became the resounding refrain. Ok, never mind. So I told them it wouldn't be much fun for them, we just sit around talking about books we have read. That still wasn't enough to dissuade them, but it did give them enough information to form their own make-believe game about the wonderful, secretive place that takes Mommy away from them twice a month.

As I was writing this, Lucian poked his head into the computer room, purse around his neck. "Mom, I'm going to book club. Book club is in here today." He sat down on the floor, emptied "his" purse, and began to page through Doggies, by Sandra Boynton. What do you think, book club ladies, should that be next on our list?